Hi: there are two references to HUDSON estate files in Natal:
MSCE 00 71/1945 HUDSON, FREDERICK WILLIAM. S/SP HUDSON, JANET CAIRNS 4056/72. 1944 1945
MSCE 4056/1972 HUDSON, JANET CAIRNS. BORN IN MACKAY, AUSTRALIA. PR/SP FREDERICK 1972 1973
Their daughter who died in infancy would obviously not come up on the online index (only adults had estates); there may be some reference to her date of death in parents' estate files but no guarantee. Otherwise it means a search of civil death registers, which without precise date of death would take time, and it may not have been registered at all.
Re ships from Australia via Durban to Scotland: at the SA end there are few records of arrivals from Australia in late 19th/early 20th c, due to factors such as increase in volume of shipping, inconsistent record-keeping, newspaper shipping columns became less detailed as they couldn't keep up the pace.
Some general musings though not specific to this query: many shipping lines were associated with Australia: the Aberdeen Line gradually substituted steam for sail, and by 1894 they had 5 steamers maintaining a monthly service between England and Australia. Hitherto the vessels had taken the Cape route outward returning via Suez, but in 1895 the Cape route was adopted both out and home. Other lines : the Blue Anchor Line whose first steamer the Delcomyn made maiden voyage to Australia in 1880, taking the Cape route - during 80s and 90s most of these Blue Anchor steamers called at Table Bay though not a regular service. By 1896 they began to cater more for passengers and there was a regular monthly service between England and Australia via the Cape - a first class passage cost 26 pounds 15 shillings. It was the loss of the Waratah in 1908 which was the death-blow of the Blue Anchor Line and it was acquired by the Peninsular and Oriental Company (P & O) - their vessels were adapted for conveyance of 3rd class passengers only - emigration to Australia was reaching its peak at this time. During WWI a couple of the vessels were lost, but the pre-War service was resumed later and there was a post-War rush to Australia. The 9 P & O liners maintained a fortnightly service to and from Australia and their visits to Table Bay were a regular feature of the port; cheap passages between the Cape and England made them very popular with South Africans who didn't want to pay for luxuries provided by more fashionable lines.
The Blue Funnel Line (Holt and Co) had associations with SA back to the 1860s when their swift China steamers often put in at Table Bay on their voyages to and from the East. In 1870 the Blue Funnel Line abandoned the Cape route and used Suez instead; in 1910 a passenger service (six-weekly) was provided to Australia via the Cape (and back) carrying 1st class passengers only; by 1913 two larger ships, Nestor and Ulysses, were added to the fleet and the service became a monthly one. The Nestor was the largest vessel visiting Table Bay and Durban and also Australian ports. Again, the War resulted in dislocation of the service but the five passenger liners fortunately escaped disaster during the War and in 1920 the monthly service via the Cape recommenced. 1925 was the start of period of great depression in Australia and the Blue Funnel Line and many others were forced to cut down their sailings to Australia.
I realise this is general background information but it does give some idea of the volume of shipping and consequently the magnitude of the task when trying to find an individual passenger arrival in SA (from anyWHERE!) at the turn of the century.
Regards, Mole
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Topic: Hudson/Aitken/Jukes/Reynolds (Read 5056 times)